A truly experiential website grips the user from the initial landing page. It excites them while they explore their specific interests, and guides them along until they can’t wait to take the next step – often times to Book or Buy. A well-executed site involves creative solutions that enhance the way the user receives & uses information. Several key elements are responsible for this quality user experience, and are becoming more and more influential in influencing a buying decision. These elements come in many shapes and sizes but at their core boil down to: VISUAL STORYTELLING, CLEAR NAVIGATION, AND ENGAGING CONTENT.

Kicking Horse Resort : Winter Site	Visual Storytelling “Ooohhhh”, “Ahhhhh”, “Mmmm”… these reactions from users are most likely the result of the seamless interaction of design and technology, an original layout, intuitive navigation, clear hierarchy, photography, typography, movement/animation, and overall brand presence. Making a big (and good) first impression is essential to an experiential site. This first impression can range from large-scale imagery or video integration, to skillfully executed typography, or even “white space”. Being able to clearly tell a story through these elements is no easy task. It’s a balancing act of where and when to use photos, videos, copy, social media, graphics, or interactive elements. A successful execution helps guide the user through a destination or product, and guides them in their buying decision.
Alyeska	Clear Navigation Creating clear, well thought out navigation guides the user through the site with ease. The user’s path, and ultimately their experience, relies on their ability to intuitively navigate to content. If the site navigation has become overgrown, or is inconsistent and confusing, the user experience suffers. Information architecture is often something that is overlooked, because when it’s done well… you don’t notice it. When it’s value is ignored you find yourself spending more time thinking “Hmm…where could I find this?” and less time focusing on relevant content. The goal is to create a seamless path for the user from start to finish. Creating content links, or cross-links, throughout the site can also be a great way to help improve the flow of the site.
Greenbrier : America's Resort	Engaging Content Content is King. After all, that’s how we tell the story. Relevant, fresh, engaging content has many important roles in an experiential site. It teaches, qualifies, engages, and entertains. Well written/targeted content also has solid SEO value: taking advantage of keywords, H-tags, and Alt-tags. Think you don’t need a copyrighter? Think again. Content needs to inform, but also must support the brand, and create a voice. And don’t just upload content once, right before a site launch…keep your content fresh. Create buzz. Connect with your user. Encourage them to be part of your brand and share your story. Simply put – your content needs to be aliving, breathing part of your website.

For specific examples of experiential web site design, visit www.rtpinteractive.com

We have attended various conferences in our time. Some were well worth the investment and effort. And some, not so much. However, we feel there is always something to be learned…if you are truly listening. While we encourage the use and value of Twitter, we also recommend putting your phones down long enough to actually ‘hear’ what is being said.

Some conferences are definitely heads above the rest – giving you months, if not years of inspiration. Here are a few of RTP Interactive’s favorite conferences in the Interactive space:

Web Design

An Event Apart

This conference is somewhere between design and technical, but fantastic. An Event Apart is an intensely educational two-day learning session for passionate practitioners of standards-based web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, An Event Apart is the conference you’ve been waiting for.

SXSW

South by Southwest really does have something for everyone. SXSW offers more than 200 panels and presentations covering everything from social media strategies and emerging business models to the latest in web design and development. Plus, it looks darn fun.

Web Visions

This will be on our list to check out next year…WebVisions is a nationally recognized conference that explores the future of Web design, technology, user experience and business strategy.

How Design Conference

While we would love to see a more Interactive heavy focus next year, you can’t go wrong with some good design inspiration and new thoughts and techniques.

TedX : Boulder

While not design specific, we can’t help but get our juices flowing when listening to the great variety of speakers and subjects. Look for a TedX in your area.

Art Museum

Our team still finds the local art museum one of the greatest places for design inspiration. For us, the Denver Art Museum is a great option! While we work on the computer, don’t forget to seek out found objects, the library, your sketchbook, and your local museums for inspiration in web design.

Search

Search Insider Summit

This conference offers an intimate setting and deep Search discussion with key industry players. Search Insider Summit brings some of the best minds in the Search industry together to share leading edge information and experience on search marketing in a think-tank environment.

Search Engine Strategies (SES)

SES is one of the longest running SEO events and it continues to gain momentum. SES is a conference & expo series that educates delegates on search engine marketing, including optimization and advertising strategies, tactics and best practices. It also has a great global presence.

Search Marketing Expo (SMX)

Has quality, local search events in cities around the world. While most SMX events have a mixture of basic through advanced content, SMX Advanced is also available if you want to dig a bit deeper.

Online Marketing Summit

Covering the topics of Social Media, Search, Email, Demand Generation, Analytics, Usability and Integrated Marketing, the OMS 23-City Tour offers attendees the opportunity to learn actionable best practices, strategies and tactics from leading authors, academics, brand marketers and online pioneers.

SEMpdx

One of the strongest local/regional groups we have seen is SEMpdx in Portland. They put on a great event with presentations from industry experts and thought leaders from around the country.

*Thanks to Kent Schnepp of EngineWorks, and Jeffrey Pruitt with Acendant for providing additional considerations for our Search list.

Web Development

Adobe Max

Choose from hundreds of sessions and labs presented by industry leaders and Adobe experts on best practices and emerging technologies. There are various tracks for Design and Develop and Envision.

Microsoft MIX

A conference for web designers and developers building the world’s most innovative web sites. We’ll be waiting for details on what Mix 2011 holds.

360iDev

An iPhone development conference for iPhone and iPad developers. They claim to be the first and best iPhone developer conference in the world.

Future of Web Design

CSS, JQuery, HTML5, Accessibility, you name it. You’ll have to cross the pond, but it looks like it will be worth the wait if you’re looking for a conference in 2011.

With new mobile AR apps for travelers coming available, there is a new “augmented” way to navigate cities, find information about sights and attractions, find retail stores, locate the nearest necessities and even book reservations and activities right from the phone.

AR mobile apps also give companies new ways to market directly to consumers at the ultimate point of purchase—location, interest and relevance in real time…a marketer’s dream!

What kind of affect do you think AR mobile apps will have on the travel and recreation industry the visitors using them?
In my opinion, I believe the smart phone has the potential to displace the need for many computer uses today. I look forward to watching this battle unfold. I look forward to seeing what expectations Millennials’ and Generation Xers’ have for mobile technology?

Michael McDermott, RTP

Adding an elevated level of interactive style can do wonders for a site and the user. Using “hide & reveal”, on
the content, the layout simplifies itself and can be help target the users navigation. Animation techniques like:
fading, scrolling, easing, rotating, hide & reveal, jumping, and expand & collapse enhances the users overall
experience on the pages. It’s like getting an unexpected gift, which = SURPRISED & EXCITED users.

Show and Hide Navigation
For use on smaller sites, or a detail area, this navigation adds animation to show and hide content. By using
jquery the page doesn’t need to reload, which could work well with a gallery area.
http://www.coocoocore.com/

Pop up Navigation & Highlight
On rollover the thumbnails pop up a navigation panel with key information, to get users into the site. The pop
up action brings excitment and interest to the homepage, while keeping the page layout minimal.
http://www.lakepowell.com

Animated Move down page/Slideshow
Using a “jump comand” in the the main navigation is a smooth way to guide the user to a targeted spot on the
page. Once clicked the page “eases” to the target content. Slideshow area animates and allow to pop up a mod
with a larger picture.
http://mbyanddesign.free.fr/#

Vimeo video background/Jquery nav
A full screen video background pulling from Vimeo as interest, without the huge lag of bandwidth. The navigation
reveals sub-level nav on rollover. Hiding the sub nav keeps the main nav clean/simple.
http://www.sammyrosen.com/index.html

Non-flash Animated slideshow, .png footer overlay
An animated slideshow on page landing. Builds the scene using transparent .pngs. Once animated, the area
becomes a slideshow. The footer uses a transparet .png graphic, which looks nice but content behind hit cannot
be clicked.
http://iremix.org/

Expand & Collapse Panels of Info
How do you fit tons of content on a homepage, make it easy for the user to digest, and make it look nice? This
site showcases more content than first meets the eye. Using Jquery to expand and collapse content makes the
site fun to navigate, and easy to display larger amounts of content.
http://rockresorts.com/

Expand & Collapse 1 page/gallery navigation
The page is set up with a gallery of thumnails. When clicked the thumbs expand to show a short amount of content
and larger image. Could be used on a “gallery page”.
http://portfolio.tofslie.com/

Gallery Slideshow & Animated dropdowns
A more traditional, but elegant slideshow using easing between transitions. Animated dropdowns and navigation
building adds an engaging characteristic to the usability.
http://rareformbranding.com/work/disciplines/print.html

Large collapsable hero areas, Animated thumb gallery/slideshow
Allow user to toggle on/off large areas of content, to focus on what they are looking for. The gallery loads images
one at a time using a fade in effect. Adds interest to page load.
http://issuu.com/#

Large collapsable content areas, Animated transitions (nav & between pages), clear rollover states
Allow user to toggle on/off large areas of content, to focus on what they are looking for. The gallery loads
images one at a time using a fade in effect. Adds interest to page load. No default form fields, ui elements (all
custom)
http://www.cypher13.com

One looong page, using easing and jump to each page
The page scrolls along a very long canvas. An interesting concept, but the user has to see the page scrolling
through everything inbetween. Could be nice for 2 or 3 items/pages
http://www.dananeibert.net

Open/Close content
Simple/Clean navigation and layout. Clicking on the title opens the content, by pushing the remaining content
down the page. On roll-off the text fades back to the “off-state” color.
http://omegacode.net/

Expand & Collapse Mega Drop Down
Kicking Horse’s site display’s the whole sites page structure in a mega drop down, but only when you need it.
The expand & collapse functionallity of this site clear up space in the header section, and really let the images
shine through.
http://www.kickinghorseresort.com

Here is a small, but valuable collection of Photoshop Tricks and Tips our Design Team has used in designing great web sites. We hope you find them helpful as well…let us know your favorites!

Advanced Glow Effect

Learn how to apply cool glow effects to various shapes using layer styles, the Pen Tool and Color Blending.

http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tutorials-effects/advanced-glow-effects/

Photoshop Type Glow

Lomo Effect in Photoshop

Learn how to get the effect produced by the Lomo LC-A camera, using any image.

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-digital-photos-look-like-lomo-photography

Photoshop Tip : Lomo

Repeating, Seamless Background Pattern in Photoshop

A must have skill set for any web designer. Using the “Offset Filter” in photoshop.

http://www.assaultblog.com/repeating-seamless-background-image-tutorial/

Photoshop Tip

HDR in Photoshop

High Dynamic Range pulls the light, medium, and dark levels from 3 bracketted photos and produces a dramatically detailed image.

http://www.assaultblog.com/repeating-seamless-background-image-tutorial/

Photoshop HDR Effect

Challenging Masks in Photoshop

Using untraditional steps/techniques to select and mask a high detailed item, like hair.

http://www.photoshopsupport.com/elements/tutorials/extract-hair/masking-tutorial.html

Photoshop Tip Mask

Ultra-Contrast

Create ultra-contrast images with a few layers, blending modes, and filters.

http://photoshopfrenzy.com/?p=94

Photoshop Tip

Remove Moiré Patterns in Photoshop

Simple and Advanced technique video on removing the undesired moire pattern caused by digital photography.

http://tutorialblog.org/remove-moire-patterns-in-photoshop/

Photoshop Tip Moire

Using Blending Sliders to remove darks or lights

An overlooked feature of Layer Styles, that targets and removes either dark or light colors.

http://tutorialblog.org/using-the-blending-sliders-in-photoshop/

Photoshop Blending Sliders

Margaret Cyphers is Creative Director at RTP Interactive. Follow her on Twitter @margaretcyphers

www.rtpinteractive.com
Twitter @rtpinteractive
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtpinteractive/

TOP 10 IDEAS FOR WEB ENHANCEMENTS

So many opportunities, it was too hard to pick just ten. Here are twelve recommendations from RTP Interactive for site enhancements in 2010.

1. Social Media
Where to start? Make sure you have clear goals and a Social Media strategy in place. While getting started may be as simple as integrating social media icons into your home page, a Twitter feed insertion, or a custom Twitter skin…social media is more than just an icon. Utilize social media as part of your company’s SEO/SEM efforts, and reap the benefits of reputation management.

2. Blog
What are the benefits and challenges of maintaining a blog? Aside from creating valuable search traffic, it is powerful marketing tool and viral pipeline. We can set up a new blog, custom skin an existing one, and in some cases, we can even integrate right into your existing site.

3. Microsite
Do you have a unique target audience or selling point? Develop and utilize a microsite to promote a children’s program, a special event, or to reach Park and Pipe riders.

Beaver Creek Extreme : Microsite

4. Content Enhancements
Creating and leveraging user-generated content is not a passing trend; whether it is done via Flickr, You Tube, or ratings and reviews, there are many opportunities to engage your guest while promoting fresh, relevant content for all of your visitors.

5. Add This/Share This
Don’t forget to let your content work harder for you by quickly and easily allowing a user to email it, share it, tweet it – you name it! Easy win.

6. Media Gallery
From Media Gallery modules, to a full-scale solution with all of the bells and whistles, you can showcase your photos, videos and cams all in one place. Want to push approved, user-generated content here as well? Your guests can now upload and share their pictures and videos right from your site. Let us walk through a few options with you.

7. Video
A picture is still worth a thousand words, but a well-placed video insertion tells even more of the story. Create home page and content video insertions, media player integration and customized You Tube Channels.

Kicking Horse : Full Screen Video Insertion

8. Search Engine Marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) needs to be supported by well-targeted, well-implemented, ongoing Search Engine Marketing (SEM) efforts. Targeted banner ads, paid search and landing pages promoting season pass sales, a special event or promotion can help boost online bookings and your bottom line.

9. HTML email (branding integration)
An HTML email design should be an extension of your brand, not an afterthought – it must provide intriguing, well-designed content, and a clear call to action to increase conversions. We can also track rates for email opens, forwards, and click-throughs, and measure reader interest in products and offerings.

10. Module Integration
Make it key information for your customers easily accessible and easy to maintain with promotions and specials, upcoming events, an automatic weather feed, snow reporting or e-newsletter sign up.

11. Custom Countdowns and Takeovers
Whether you’re counting down to an important event, opening day on the mountain, or reminding guests about the deadline for season pass renewals, creating a custom countdown on your home or landing page can be valuable. In some cases a Flash insertion or a full-screen takeover may be effective for timely promotions, snow alerts, or urgent messaging.

Crested Butte : Module Integration

12. Automated Reporting via Twitter/Facebook
Why update multiple places? Save yourself time and effort by setting up automated reporting, like weather and snow reports, via Twitter and Facebook.

While these are tactical examples, we consider these opportunities to be just a portion of an overall strategic vision.

Margaret Cyphers is Creative Director at RTP Interactive. Follow her on Twitter @margaretcyphers


www.rtpinteractive.com
Twitter @rtpinteractive
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtpinteractive/

As we prepare for 2010, one of the most asked questions I hear and read is “will mobile be the new Internet?”
I find the question interesting because it could imply that an entire new economy will be created just like the one by the Internet. This could mean new jobs and wealth creation for a new generation.
On one side of the debate the answer is yes. Since our introduction of REALSKI™, a iPhone® application, I have been introduced to a whole new world of companies and individuals just doing mobile development, promotions and consulting. In fact, we could say mobile is creating new industries such as the “i” industry. Today iTunes® has more than 125,000 active apps developed by more than 28,000 unique developers. These numbers are larger than most industries. Just look at Apple’s financials to see if you can make money! Apple only represents a small piece of the global mobile platform and with Andriod, Blackberry and Microsoft targeting this market, the numbers could be staggering.
On the other hand, the answer is no. This belief is based on the fact that mobile is only an extension of existing technologies—phone, PDA and Internet working together. Additionally, there is no unified platform, technology etc. like what we had with the Internet.
I believe there is some truth to a new industry being created with a set of new companies and old Internet companies adopting mobile initiatives. With that being said, my question to answer is where will this mobile application evolution lead RTP? I am not sure. However, I will enjoy the journey that REALSKI will lead us.

Michael McDermott, SVP, RTP, LLC

RTP has always been interested in hearing feedback from its customers—and anyone else who wants to let us know what you think about our company, products and services. So we decided, what better way to hear your opinions and thoughts than to set up our own Blog?

Please use this forum to read about and interact with RTP on a whole new level. We’ll bring you news and interesting tidbits about the company, give you our take on trends in the industry, provide helpful tips and timely topics about our products and services, plus offer other useful and insightful commentary (at least we hope it’s useful and insightful to you). You could even tell us what you’d like our software and interactive marketing ‘experts’ to blog about. After all, unless we know what you think, it won’t be truly interactive, right? So watch for new postings often, and join the conversation!

There are a variety of tools we can utilize during the Creative process – one of them I am most drawn to is the Mood Board. A roll of butcher paper, a stack of magazines, and rolls of tape?! Sounds more like art class than business you say? What is the value? Here are some of my top reasons for taking the time to utilize a mood board on your next web site project.

1. It is a great brainstorming activity with the client at the kick off meeting.

Mood Board Brainstorming Exercise

2. A mood board requires people to be engaged, and to think about something a different way.

3. The activity gets people out of their seats, literally. After what can be hours of sitting, this is a usually well received.

4. With a room full of people, it gets each and every one involved in the process. Not just the loudest one.

5. It is a great tool for the creative team to visually capture the audience, and vision of a company.

6. Once the final mood board is complete, it is presented to the client as a visual snapshot of their brand. With a quick glance, it becomes clear if we have missed any key components. It is easier, and cheaper, to adjust things at this stage than during the middle of the design process.

Final Mood Board

7. An approved Mood Board becomes a key input for the Creative Brief. Without a well written brief, you are walking blindly.

8. If you don’t slow down to consider the audience of your site, you take the risk of designing a site that doesn’t sell the right experience, to the right person.

Margaret Cyphers is Creative Director at RTP Interactive. Follow her on Twitter @margaretcyphers

www.rtpinteractive.com
Twitter @rtpinteractive
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtpinteractive/

RTP Interactive launched the Birds of Prey World Cup Race site before the 2007, but the concept behind the web came to life this weekend! It is always great to see our work in action, but this weekend it felt like super speed.

RTP at the races

We had dozens of employees on the hill as spectators at this years race. Some of us volunteered on the course, some watched from the stands, and still others hiked up the hill to catch a glimpse of the racers launching off of the Harrier jump. It was truly amazing to see the speed, and hear the sound of the racers and the crowd. (You can never have too much cowbell).

Congratulations to the Vail Valley Foundation for their involvement in a spectacular event. We are thankful to have an event of this caliber right in our backyard.

www.rtpinteractive.com
Twitter @rtpinteractive
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtpinteractive/